The National Memorial Arboretum is the UK’s centre of remembrance and serves as a national site of reflection and education. This project involves the creation of a significant extension to the existing Arboretum in the form of a Memorial Woodland, a space designed to commemorate the collective loss and experience of the UK during the Covid-19 pandemic. The site selected for this expansion is a former quarry and historic tarmac operation, characterised by complex ground conditions and a strong connection to the surrounding natural landscape. Key features include: Ground difficulties: The site selected was a former quarry, operated by Tarmac A place for reflection: The location will serve as a place to commemorate the collective loss from the Covid-19 pandemic Flooding constraints: The entire development falls within Flood Zone 3 which placed considerable constraints on what could be constructed Services we provided Civil & Infrastructure Engineering Structural Engineering Water Engineering & Flood Risk Our role BWB Consulting has played a key technical role in delivering the Memorial Woodland. We provided civil engineering, structural engineering, and flood risk services from concept through planning. The site itself, formerly used for quarrying and silt disposal, presented unique challenges, including unstable ground and proximity to nearby watercourses. Masterplan support We supported the development of the site’s masterplan, working alongside the project architect and client team to ensure buildability, structural viability, and regulatory compliance. Earthworks and Remediation With complex made-ground conditions with very high water table and high risk of pollution to the surrounding rivers and ponds, we undertook an extensive ground investigation and produced a conceptual site model. This informed early advice on ground improvement options, earthworks strategy and concept Materials Management Planning (MMP), to ensure that the masterplan and cost plan fully reflected the challenges in the ground. Flood expertise A particularly critical aspect of our involvement was successfully negotiating a planning strategy to enable development within Flood Zone 3. We provided detailed flood risk assessments and justification to secure consent. This included placement of buildings and public amenities within the floodplain, ensuring they were designed to be both resilient and sympathetic to the site’s landscape. Structural support Our structural team contributed to the early-stage planning application by advising on substructure solutions that responded to the site’s difficult silt-based ground conditions. These designs were informed by the site's former use as a silt lagoon, where a hardened crust had formed over deep, soft deposits, making it necessary to apply innovative and adaptable engineering solutions.